Adalbert Stifter
born Oct. 23, 1805, Oberplan, Austria
died Jan. 28, 1868, Linz
Austrian narrative writer whose novels
of almost classical purity exalt the
humble virtues of a simple life. He was
the son of a linen weaver and flax
merchant, and his childhood experiences
in the country, surrounded by peasant
craftsmen, provided the setting for his
work.
Stifter was educated at the
Kremsmünster abbey school. He enrolled
as a law student in Vienna, but for the
most part he attended scientific
lectures and took no degree. After many
years of precarious living as a tutor,
artist, and writer, in 1840 he began to
publish stories, including Der Condor
(1840), Feldblumen (1841;
“Wildflowers”), and Die Mappe meines
Urgrossvaters (1841–42; “My
Greatgrandfather’s Portfolio”). In
Brigitta (1844) the basic structure of
his major work began to emerge: he saw
that an inner unity of the landscape and
people—a crucial part of life for
him—must also determine the shape of his
story. Collections of revised stories,
Studien, 6 vol. (1844–50; “Studies”) and
Bunte Steine (1853; “Colourful Stones”),
brought him fame. In the important
preface to the latter book, he expounded
his doctrine of the “law of gentleness”
as the enduring principle.
During the political turmoil of
1848–50, Stifter was deeply involved in
the debate over the role of education;
in 1850 he moved from Vienna to Linz,
becoming an inspector of schools. The
novel Der Nachsommer (1857; “Indian
Summer”), his greatest work, depicts a
young man learning and growing; the work
radiates a still and sun-soaked beauty
and a restrained idealism, set against
the landscape Stifter loved. His epic
Witiko (1865–67) uses medieval Bohemian
history as a symbol for the human
struggle for a just and peaceful order.
Other stories followed, but he was too
ill to finish his project of expanding
Die Mappe meines Urgrossvaters into a
novel: only the first volume was
completed.
